City celebrations of Día de los Muertos and MexAmeriCon 2023

Community members are invited to come together for Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, on Saturday, Nov. 4 – the 16th annual celebration of this beloved tradition presented by the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (ESB-MACC). The large-scale festival celebrating the lives of ancestors, family, friends and public figures will be at the Pan American Recreation Center, 2100 E. Third St. Guests can enjoy hands-on children’s activities, art activations, vendors, food trucks, and a collective community altar. MexAmeriCon – the only Latine-focused comic con in Central Texas – will present its afternoon showcase of Mexican American and Latinx artists who create comic books, graphic novels, zines and pop art. The event will also offer sugar skull decorating, large-scale art installations by Las Piñatas ATX, a live lotería bingo game and face-painting. The ESB-MACC, in collaboration with Oakwood Cemetery, the Long Center, and Parks and Recreation facilities, will also offer free public pop-up events before and after the festival. Día de los Muertos, the day that loved ones can return, is Thursday, Nov. 2. The Alma y Corazon Ceremony takes place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. that day at the Oakwood Cemetery, 1601 Navasota St., with an altar presentation, ceremony and talk from Mariana Nuño Ruiz McEnroe, author of “Dining with the Dead,” on rich culinary traditions in Mexico associated with Día de los Muertos. There will be guitar music and complimentary hot chocolate and tamales while they come together to share their stories. All are invited to pay respect to the individuals buried in Oakwood Cemetery. For more on the collective ofrenda (altar), what to bring and more details on these ceremonies and events, visit the city’s rundown here.